The Forge of Destiny
by Aristocles
Summary: A re-imagined world of Wizardry 8. For those who remember, Wizardry was a role-playing game series with some of the most imaginative, groundbreaking plots and gameplay of its day. Presented here is a story set in Dominus, the land of destiny.
1. Chapter 1

**Introduction**:

The land of Dominus was a mysterious realm, filled with a myriad collection of races and magics. Some were advanced, others were primitive. Some had powerful magics derived from nature, other derived their power from a form of science all their own. None of these races controlled the land in its entirety, though all of them wished to do so.

It was as if history had suffered a stroke; by some twist of fate or the will of the gods, there was stone-age technology existing side-by-side with goods from the iron age, situated next to bronze-age weaponry, all that existing next to goods which could not be made in our place and time! Every side had an advantage, every side had a disadvantage. The mighty Empire of the Higardi found itself somehow unable to overcome the wood-and-stone spears of the Trynnie, just as the forged steel of the Rapax could not overcome the natural bone and claws of the Rynjin.

An average citizen of Dominus, in as far as there _was_ such a thing as "average", learned to get along as best he could. For all the science possessed by some of the nations, rationality was seemingly thrown out the window. It seemed a greater impact could be had by praying to an ornately carved piece of wood than by spending years on end working with complex mathematics to create a spell capable of a similar effect to that which would emerge if someone prayed to that piece of wood for long enough. There was a balance, alright… where there should not have been any. By all logic, the strongest races would have killed off or subjugated the weaker ones, and instead of having dozens of races and nations competing with one another, there would only be three or four. Something was keeping this land in balance… something was keeping it all in check… and whoever knew the secret of Dominus would become so powerful… so mighty… and so… enlightened… he would either be a god… or be killed.

A part of the secret was already known to the lands. There were three artifacts, commonly known, created at the very birth of Dominus; the Astral Dominae, the Destinae Dominus, and the Chaos Moliri. These contained the very essences of life, knowledge, and change respectively. These were the means given to life by the gods with which to be born, grow, and die, only to begin the cycle again and again. Yet… even these items, fantastically powerful as they were, were nothing next to the forge. The forge had created them, the forge could undo them. Few people knew of the forge, yet whoever wielded it would be far more than a god to Dominus…

Yet, for all the cosmic-level enlightenment, and the soul-wrenching truths which lay hidden just beneath the surface, life went on in Dominus as it always did. The same routines, day in and day out. The Higardi were always trying to conquer and exploit new lands, yoking whole regions to their empire as a farmer would do to his oxen. The Rapax were killing and despoiling… as they always did. The Trynnie were living in their great forest, praying to the leaves, spearing game in the woods, carving idols… and carrying off whatever gaudy items could fit into their little hands. The Trang and Umpani were at war… again. They would fight over anything, and if there was nothing to fight over, they'd make something up. Each one accused the other of countless wrongs, and each one suffered many in turn. They really just wanted each others land, wealth, and control of valuable trade routes. Neither side would ever admit this.

The Umpani looked much like Rhinoceroses crossed with a human, and the Trang were insects with six arms, antennae, fangs, and no legs, crawling along the ground much like a slug. The latter race used steel blades as their main weapon, the former preferred the use of staffs, poison, acid, and their own stinging antenna. If they were to combine forces, they would be a serious threat to all but Guardia.

Guardia was the land of the Higardi. No, not a land… an _Empire_. The mightiest empire Dominus had ever seen, thank you very much. Yes, one of _those_ empires; the kind that are rich enough to afford moral hypocrisy. The Higardi themselves were human. "Higardi" was the demonym of the people in the same way that an inhabitant of Rome was called a Roman. Of course, not everyone who lived in the empire was classified as _Homo Sapiens Sapiens._ Those "riff-raff" were classified as subjects in a complex classification scheme which was made up by some old men who thought that they could cut-and-paste living creatures into a scheme which just happens to benefit the most human-like of them… as if simply _being_ human were a virtue… and to be a human who was part of the Higardi nation were the highest virtue…

The Rattkin were thieves, but at least they admitted it; the Trynnie would lie when they stole your gold ring, and the Higardi? That wasn't "stealing"… oh no… when one ship full of pirates robs a village, THAT'S stealing. When a fleet of 1,000 ships loots an entire country in the name of the emperor? That's not stealing, it's spreading civilization! Right. Civilization. Uh huh. The Rattkin were more than just thieves, though. They were feared in the criminal underworld of Dominus as assassins and spies. The actual underworld of Dominus was filled with countless Rattkin spirits who went there when heaven didn't want them. No one wanted them. They were a migratory race of human-sized rodents… outside of some ruins that they sometimes infested, they had no real land to call their own.

The Rynjin… what to say about them? They themselves rarely spoke, communicating using telepathy instead. The Trynnie called them the "mean fish." So what if they were fish-people who ate a Trynnie or two on occasion? At least they stayed on their islands and in the water. If you ran into one of them, you were trespassing on their territory. They very rarely raided territory that was not their own, and they never fought a war for expansion. They fought a civil war every time their high chief died, but besides that, they rarely fought each other. Ironically, despite being one of the only two races which ate another one, they were the most peaceful of them all… at least in terms of conquest. Ask a fish if the Rynjin were peaceful… they would tell you "hell no!" The favorite food of the Rynjin was tuna.

On a far, far darker note were the Rapax. Commonly mistaken for a race of minotaur, the Rapax were actually closer to goats in appearance. Regardless of how they appeared, their diet was anything but that of a peaceful herbivore. This race was predatory, as their name would suggest; rapacity was their most common trait. It wasn't always like this. Milennia ago, they lived on the grassy plains with the Higardi. When the latter decided that the Rapax's lands would look better with human houses, roads, and cities, they pushed the Rapax out in a terrible war, eventually forcing them into a volcanic rift… there, they met Al-Sedexus… and suffice it to say… the Higardi's plan backfired… real… bad. Now the Rapax are more dangerous than ever, having grown larger, smarter, stronger, and possessed of more wealth and better weapons and armor than they ever had before.

A myriad of other race lived in Dominus as well; the goblins tribes, the trolls in their caves, the orcs in their myriad of nations, the hobgoblins with their violent hordes of warrior, elves in the woods and cities alike, Dwarves in the mountains, and many others that an experienced traveler had probably seen before. Yes, there were dragons asleep on hoards of treasure, just as there were human monarchs who stayed awake while presiding over the same. A minor race in all this was the Mook; a group of eight-foot tall humanoids with a thick coat of fur and highly superior intelligence. Practicing policies conducive toward zero population growth, they only numbered in the tens of thousands, yet had an impact far larger than their small numbers would indicate.

Presiding over this was the mysterious Cosmic Circle, the gods which presided over Dominus. It was they who made the artifacts and the forge… it was they who made this land, and they could undo it. Since time immemorial, they had used the forge to keep a semblance of order in the land… then, the unthinkable happened… the Cosmic forge was stolen! The magic which had once hidden the artifacts vanished, and now, the whole of Dominus was up for grabs! This event had been foretold in a prophecy… one that had been long since discarded, save for a group of Higardi monks known as the Brotherhood of the Ascension… no one had believed them… until now. But even they failed to predict the coming of… the Dark Savant. Striking out of nowhere with an army of mechanical beings and magically-twisted servants, he crashed upon Dominus like water onto a rock.

Time has wrought many changes, and with them, much sorrow. The hopes of the common people in this turbulent time now rest upon hope that the promise of the Ascension is not a false one… whatever that promise may be! Even the Brotherhood doesn't know all the details. All they knew is that the three artifacts must be assembled at Ascension peak, and then, they could gain entry to the Cosmic Circle… what they would find there… they had no idea. Very few did, and those who knew were not about to tell.

The only thing that was clear was that a new destiny was to be written… who would write it, and when… no one could say.

Author's Note: Each race will be explored in detail for the next several chapters, eventually merging into a fuller story some time down the road. It gets complicated, so bear with me.


	2. Chapter 2

The Higardi

Arnika was a crowded city set in a grid pattern. At over a million souls within the city walls, it was easily the largest urban area on all of Dominus. As the capital of Guardia, it was also the richest. Merchants, politicians, generals, clergy, and dozens of other ranking professions were headquartered in this city, representing the intelligentsia of the Higardi.

It also had filthy slums and arrogant, good-for-nothing landlords who produced nothing and sat back while earning profits which were way too high for their shoddy buildings to be justified… but this was largely missed by the common visitor, whose eyes would have been diverted by all the golden roofed- palaces and marble temples.

Among the many travelers in the streets were Myles and Vitalia Domina. Vitalia, or "Vi" for short, was a rare kind among her people; a woman warrior, one who used to work with the Dark Savant… of course, she was a foolish 18 year old girl back then… that was seven years ago… and before he took her right eye from her. Ripped it out with his own metal claws… she wished she knew why he did that. Her companion, Myles, was a wayward soul… the kind of fellow who would greet you politely one minute, and stab you in the back the next. He may have been a charming fellow on the surface, but beneath it all, he was a rogue at heart… in the worst way possible. The two Higardi walked down the street to a Tavern called "He'li's." He'li herself was an old friend of Vi's, and more than a friend to Myles… even if it was sort of an "on-and-off" sort of thing with those two… and since Myles had yet to pay his bar tab… it was understandably off for the moment.

"You think she'll recognize me after all this time?" Vi asked Myles.

"Well, your hair is still the same brown shade, your voice hasn't changed, and from what you've told me, you still have the same bare midriff as before." Myles replied.

"Thank you very much for that comment" Vi replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Opening the doors of the tavern, the two adventurers walked into the bar section… the place was busy! It seemed as if no two patrons were of the same race… or species! Humans, Umpani, Trynnie, Elves, Halflings… even a Mook!

"Funny, this place looks like what I see _after_ I've had a few drinks!" Myles commented.

"Very funny Mr. Can't-hold-down-a-fuzzfass-fizzer." Vi replied, referencing the name of a popular drink in these parts.

"That's not very fair of you. It was you who dared me to drink it…it was a strong drink…"

"A drink a Trynnie could hold down!" Vi said, laughing. "You were beaten by a four-foot tall rodent!"

"Well, they _made_ that drink, Vi! Of _course_ they could hold it down!"

"Let's just go see He'li, alright?"

And they did. He'li was a no-nonsense tavern keeper. She didn't just serve drinks, she owned the place.

"Welcome to He'li's folks! We've got rooms, rumors, and rum! Try saying that ten times fast. What can I get you fol-… Vi? Vi Domina! My goodness!"

"He'li! It's so good to see you. After all this time. It's been so long."

"Long! I'll say it has been! You said you would be gone a week! How long was it, Vi?"

"Seven _years_, He'li. Seven long years."

"What the hell happened. Vi? There's a lot of difference between seven _days_ and seven _years._"

"I'll explain later. Right now, I could use a drink."

"On the house Vi." He'li replied, giving Vi a mug of ale.

"This'll hit the spot. Thanks He'li!" "Sure thing" she said to her old friend… then turned her attention to who she was with…

"And _you_ Myles! You're _just_ who I wanted to see. Your tab is due…"

"No wait! He'li… I can explain."

"Now now, Myles. No sweet-talking your way out of this one. You owe me Myles. I'll have to ask you to leave if you don't pay up. What's it gonna be?"

Sighing, Myles took out the gold coins needed to pay for his "super drinker" sized tab. He could stand human ale quite well… as He'li knew first hand.

"Good thinking, Myles, good thinking…" He'li told him.

Elsewhere in the city, a messenger arrived at the temple of the Brotherhood of the Ascension. He had come from the monastery not far from the city, with news of Anselm's disappearance. Anselm was the leader of the Brotherhood, and the local temple leader, Lord Braffit, was the second-in-command. Furthermore, he had received a letter from Anselm just a month ago, to be opened in case of his disappearance.

Reading the note, Braffit's blue eyes opened wide, and his already white skin grew pale.

"So… Anselm feels the time has come to open the crypt and use Cierdan's weapons? Then these are dark days indeed!"

Each neighborhood of Arnika had its own purpose. Some of these neighborhoods were centered around an industry, like the iron district. Others, such as the temple district, were focused on serving the spiritual needs of several different faiths. Most religiously-oriented districts were devoted to a single religion, however. The district of the brotherhood was located not too far from the southern gate of the city, near the fountain of the sea nymph.

He'li's tavern, by contrast, was far to the north, in the entertainment district, a place where the later it became, the fewer decent people were outside.

This was in stark contrast to the theater district, where great plays, ancient and contemporary, were performed for the delight of the mostly upper-class patrons. There was also a music district, which catered to rich and poor alike. Vi thought it was a place of culture, Myles thought it was a loud headache waiting to happen. Then, there were the ethnic districts…

"You know I've got a lot to say about that." Myles told Vi, stuffing his mouth with a leg of lamb he had ordered from the kitchen at He'li's. "The Trynnie? They're not too bad with the five-finger discount skills, but upstairs? Well, let's just say they don't have all their crackers on one plate."

"Do you find something wrong with every race besides our own?" Vi asked him, weary of hearing it by now.

"It's not like I don't find plenty of things wrong with us, my girl. Take those stupid monks, for example." Vi took offense to this. The Brotherhood of the Ascension had taken her in as a child after her parents had died in a freak accident. Lord Braffit was like a father to her…

"The Brotherhood is a good order Myles. Say what you will about their superstitions and their apocalyptic doom-saying… but beneath it all, they're good, fine people… and I'm NOT your girl!"

"Yeah, or so I've heard. They keep talking about rising into heaven from a mountain if we put three magic objects into… holes… or some such crazy thing."

"You don't believe it, do you?"

"Vi, I've been from one end of Dominus to the other, and in my 27 years I have never seen, not once, any sign that a true God or gods exist. All those powerful deities, spirits, and other such rot are nothing more than wizards and other mages using their power to frighten ordinary people, or even worse, in the case of "Phoonzang", the gods are just stories made up to explain in the world what magic, math, and science can't."

"No wonder Braffit calls you a wayward soul."

"I'd rather be wayward than stuck in that marble temple all day… its not exactly my idea of fun… more like… standing around in a big marble tomb!"

Vi Domina sighed. She and Myles were mutual friends of He'li. They had met years ago when they were apprentices to various groups that supplied so-called "adventurers"; she had come from the temple of the Brotherhood, he had come from… well… he used to work for the "import-export" business, but now he was a "freelancer"… a "scab"… and frequently clashed with his old associates. Somehow, he had not ended up hacked to pieces or had his throat slit. His passing information to the soldiers and city guards of Arnika probably had something to do with why the was frequently attacked, but why few of these attacks succeeded.

Each of the several dozen Higardi cities had an army garrison stationed in or immediately next to it. The day-to-day security was overseen by city guards, recruited from the local populace, and named according to local custom. For Arnika, this meant that the police were known as the "Higardi Lunar Legion", after the city's ancient moon-venerating religion… sure, that custom had very few adherents now. No one besides "walking fossils and crazy aunt Gretchen" still followed the moon cult, as Myles liked to say. In any case, the HLL paid people to inform on various illicit activities. Myles was one of their very best informants, to the constant anger of his former bosses.

Finishing their meal, the two adventurers left to do their separate ways; Vi returned to the temple, and Myles went back into the seedy district he called home… an apartment next to the docks… that's right… the sailors district… yes, _that_ one. The kind with imported sins competing with domestic ones. Still, not everything in that part of the city was bad… there was the old city hall, now occupied the Mook embassy. The Mook were a largely peaceful race from a region in Dominus called Trea. Vi thought their eight-foot tall, shaggy physique was intimidating; Myles called them "giant, walking carpets who don't shut up."

"Urq, report! What have you learned from your psionics today?" Screg asked

"My psionic reports have indicated that a large number of local inhabitants refer to the 'Sea Caves' when asked about the location of Marten. It is neither confirmed nor denied that this is actually the case. Our scanning of the region commonly referred to as the 'Sea Caves' has revealed a significant presence of ectoplasmic activity in the vicinity, what the less enlightened call 'ghosts.' Further readings have indicated that the only feasible routes to these caves is by boat or by flying, as simple ambulation is unable to bypass the aquatic paths to the caves, nor is it able to pass through the solid rock of the mountains which surround them."

"What is so significant about this 'Marten'?" Screg asked, adjusting his plate armor a bit.

"Marten is the individual who stole the Destinae Dominus from the monastery of the Brotherhood of the Ascension near Arnika. The Destinae Dominus is said to contain all knowledge of the gods, and so, Marten coveted it. Once a member of the Higardi Lunar Legion, he went to the monastery and destroyed the glass sphere in which the Destinae Dominus was contained. Somehow escaping from the monks, he made his way to Arnika first, and then, gathering some followers who believed him to be a prophet, made his way to Trynton, where he was sheltered from the Higardi forcers pursuing him. Eventually, he gave the Trynnie some sort of artifact and made a pact with them, then he left to hide out in an abandoned fort now occupied by the Trang, in the place now known as Marten's Bluff. A force of a thousand soldiers was dispatched to bring him in, but Marten trapped the fortress so well that they had to turn back and reformulate a plan, upon which Marten and his men fled. How they came to the Sea Caves is unknown, although it is believed that Marten, if he indeed possessed all knowledge of the gods, would find a way to bring his followers there. Of course, such a story needs to be balanced out against the reliable accounts that Marten, was, in fact, insane. His common appellation, 'Mad Marten', was in use not long after the Destinae Dominus had been stolen. Some of his writings, recovered from Marten's Bluff, are indicative of a frenzied madman, perhaps driven to insanity by the effects of the Destinae Dominus. Further information on the subject is mere rumor and conjecture."

"That was a rather… small report." Screg replied. "Regardless, how is this Marten connected with the event called 'The Ascension?'"

"It is believed that three items, the Destinae Dominus, the Astral Dominae, and the Chaos Moliri, are needed for this Ascension to proceed. As you yourself stated yesterday, scanning Ascension Peak revealed three receptors and an inactive portal. If one were to place the three items on the Peak, it is believed that the portal would activate, and one could travel to the place the Higardi believes is the Cosmic Circle. If Marten indeed possesses the Destinae Dominus, he is a major piece of the puzzle. Of course, Marten himself is likely dead, as the events surrounding his theft occurred well over a century ago."

Screg took a moment to analyze all of this. "If what you say is true, then we hold a third of the key right with us!" And with that, Screg gestured to a back room with an anti-magic field active inside of it. In the small chamber was a sphere glowing a light shade of purple… almost pinkish in hue. On it was a star map which accurately depicted the stars over Ascension Peak as one would see them from there at night. If one were to stare at the globe, one would get a sense of the power of chaos held within… the power of change contained in a smooth crystal sphere with a circumference of about 30 centimeters… the Chaos Moliri… held by the Mook in Arnika… right beneath everyone's noses. Protected from scrying and detection… it had been found by the Mook as it crashed into the ground near Arnika, after having fallen from… well… the Mook didn't know where. It had been taken to their embassy, where it was quickly identified as the Moliri… and now, was too valuable to move, lest a whole city full of "power-mad" humans get their hands on it…

----

At the center of the city stood a great white tower. Standing at over 500 meters high, it was the tallest structure in the city. Previously, the Dark Savant himself had built his own hideous tower there, at a fraction of the size of the current one. The archmages of Arnika would not stand for it, and, with the blessing of the emperor, they moved their own great tower into position over the Savant's tower… then dropped it. Had the Savant himself been in the tower when it had happened, life would be far easier. As it is, his dread Black Ship was his home base, not some hastily-assembled tower. That vessel of his, made from the scales of black dragons and the bones of sea serpents, prowled the central ocean of Dominus, spreading fear wherever it was rumored to be sighted.

Arnika's white tower, by contrast, was a place of peace and enlightenment. Mages from all races, of all creeds, from all places could gather there to learn and experiment. All magics which did not cause undo danger or violate basic tenets of morality were allowed. This meant Necromancy and Demonology were banned, but most other magics were permitted.

This was Arnika, a city full of contradictions. Rich and poor, powerful and powerless, everywhere and nowhere.

Author's Note: Hi! This chapter will be expanded upon in time to almost twice as long. Until then, on to Trynton in the next chapter!


End file.
